Free radicals antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in different types of leukemias
Introduction
It is well known that in healthy conditions at the cellular level, a subtle balance exists between the free radical generation and the antioxidant defense. Factors tilting the balance towards free radical generation could lead to oxidative damage and diseases like degenerative diseases, premature aging, cataract, carcinogenesis and atherosclerosis [1]. Changes in the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative systems and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reactive products have been described in different cancers and leukemias [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]. Intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) has been shown to have a protective effect and might be an important factor in determining the resistance of leukemic and cancer cells against anticancer drugs and radiation [7]; while an absence of MnSOD activity was described to be a phenotypic feature of tumor cells and of practical value in cancer therapy [8]. Information on the activities of these enzymes is conflicting and reports on antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation are mainly limited to cell lines. The studies in leukemia patients are scanty [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16]. Hence the present investigation has been undertaken to study the levels of free radicals, lipid peroxidation products and antioxidant enzymes SOD and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities in different types of leukemias prior to therapy.
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Patients and blood samples
Investigations were carried out on 30 patients suffering from different types of leukemias. The cases include 16 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemias (ALL), 11 with acute nonlymphocytic leukemias (ANLL) and three with chronic myeloid leukemias (CML). The patients included three adults (35–48 years) and 27 children (1–12 years). All of them are newly diagnosed cases referred from Niloufer and MNJ Cancer Hospitals, Hyderabad, prior to chemotherapy. The diagnosis of the disease has been
Results
The findings for various parameters are summarized in Table 1. The results showed significantly decreased amounts of hemoglobin content in ALL and ANLL and normal amounts in CML as in the control subjects. The generation of superoxide anion was significantly higher in ALL and ANLL patients as compared to the controls. Although there was an apparent increase in H2O2, it was not significant. The values of lipid peroxidation products in the three types of leukemia were found to be comparable to
Discussion
Free radicals like superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive and present a challenge to the cellular, morphological and functional integrity of the cell. In the present study superoxide anion generation by polymorphonuclear leukocytes was found to be elevated inherently in untreated leukemia patients. The study also indicated an apparent increase in H2O2, although it was not statistically significant. These findings have confirmed our preliminary report [13] and also are in
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial assistance provided by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to research associate Dr. G. Sandhya Devi. We thank the Superintendents of Niloufer Hospital and Mehdi Nawaz Jung Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad, for providing the samples. We also acknowledge the co-operation extended by the patients and their families. We also acknowledge the critical evaluation of the manuscript by Dr.N. Lakshmaiah of NIN and Dr. G. Somayajulu of Niloufer Hospital.
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